[FILIPINO] My Irreplaceable Flower

Chapter Two

ILANG minuto lang silang naghintay sa pagdating ni Shin. At nang dumating ito ay agad na tumakbo si Kimbel patungo rito. "Uncle Shin! I'm sorry po." Anito habang muli na namang napaiyak.

Agad naman itong sinalo ni Shin at niyakap. "It's okay, Kimmy, dear. It's okay." Pag-alo naman nito sa bata.

"What happened?" agad na tanong ni Helena sa binata nang makalapit ito sa kanya habang karga pa rin ang anak niyang sumisigok-sigok.

Ngumiti lang sa kanya si Shin. Her friend was ever gentle and so kind as always. "It's alright, Lei. Wala namang naging problema overall. Genesis managed to calm the crowd and the general feedback was even better than expected so they were willing to let Kimbel off the hook."

Nakahinga ng maluwag si Helena sa sinabi ng kaibigan. Truth be told, she wouldn't know what to do should the production ask her to pay the damages. Hindi marahil sasapat kahit pagsamahin pa niya ang kinikita ng flower shop at maging ang nakukuha niya sa pagtuturo ng English online upang magbayad ng danyos perhuwisyo.

"Thank you, Shin. Hindi ko talaga alam ang gagawin ko kung sakali."

Nagkibit lamang ng balikat ang kaibigan niya bilang tugon. "Oh, yeah. Iyong sorpresa ko pala sa iyo."

"Naku," todo-iling si Helena sa pagtanggi. "Hindi na, Shin. Okay na sa aking hindi ko kailangang magbayad ng danyos."

"It's fine, Lei. A promise is a promise. Besides, he said he also wanted to talk to you, so..." pagtatapos ni Shin sabay kibit-balikat.

Kumunot ang noo ni Helena. "Ano ba kasing sorpresa iyon?"

A sudden commotion near the door caught their attention even before Shin got to reply.

"Oh! That's probably him now," tumatango-tango pang saad ni Shin. "You know, I just realized today why you're so into the guy. Seeing him perform earlier and doing what he did to keep the crowd's attention, it's no wonder that he actually got your admiration for such a long time. The guy was just that great a performer."

Kumabog ang dibdib ni Helena sa sinabi ni Shin. "Oi, Ninomiya-san. Don't tell me..." But Helena already knew even before she asked. She had been aware of his strong presence even without catching a glimpse of him yet.

"What? You only refer to me that way when you're a little pissed. Are you pissed, Lena-sensei?" natatawang sabi nito sa kanya ngunit agad ding ibinaling ang paningin sa may pinto ng security office. "Sir Genesis!"

Nothing probably would ever prepare Helena, not even the length of time that passed, to meeting Genesis face to face once again. Dama niya ang bigat ng titig nito sa likod ng madilim na antiparang lagi nitong suot.

Lumapit ito sa kanila at nakipagkamay kay Shin. "You can drop the 'Sir', Shin. 'Genesis' is just fine."

Tila naman na-starstruck ang kaibigan niya rito. "It's an honor, Si- I mean, Genesis. Thanks for accepting my request. This here is my friend, Helena Villanueva. She's a long-time fan of yours." Pagpapakilala nito sa kanya at ngali-ngali niyang pandilatan si Shin dahil doon.

"Oh, really?" swabeng tugon ni Genesis sa sinabi ng kaibigan niya saka bumaling uli ang paningin sa kanya. For some reason, Helena felt something sinister in his stare. "Since when, if I may ask?"

"Since her teenage years. Ain't that right, Lei?" si Shin na rin ang sumagot para sa kanya dahil hindi niya maapuhap ang tinig.

"Oh," Genesis drawled, the 'o' sound rolling on his tongue. "Is that so, Ms. Helena?"

Tango ang tanging naisagot niya sa tanong ng lalaki.

"Hey, Lei. Tell you what. Ako na muna'ng bahala sa kambal. You talk to Genesis, okay?" malapad ang ngiting prisinta ng kaibigan niya. Hindi nito alam na hindi iyon ang nais niyang mangyari.